The Tasty Reason You Should Add Butter To Your Granola

Making your own granola has many benefits, but the biggest is you get to choose what ingredients you want to use. Whether you prefer pecans, pistachios, almonds, sunflower seeds, dried blueberries, or cranberries to go alongside those oats, homemade granola gives you control to both experiment and choose what you add. If you want something sweeter, you can incorporate coconut flakes, chocolate chips, or some of your favorite spices to customize to your taste, because you have the freedom to do just that when you make it yourself. But as you are prepping to make granola, there is one ingredient you want to be sure to include and that's butter. 

This dairy product is a rich addition to any recipe, but when it comes to foods containing oats and nuts, it helps not only make them golden and toasty but to enhance the savory and nutty flavors that are synonymous with granola. Butter can also complement all the lovely tastes of your other ingredients bringing the overall flavor together.

Butter does more than you might think for your homemade granola. First, this baking staple helps to evenly brown those oats and nuts as it melts and transforms into liquid gold. During the baking process, this velvety smooth ingredient helps to make for a crispy texture and satisfying bite. Butter also pairs well with your binding ingredients, working in tandem with your sweeteners like honey and maple syrup to create little clusters. These clusters can be both chewy and crunchy and a welcome addition to the overall texture of your granola.

If you find your granola is not crisping up the way you expect it to, remember you need to follow the low and slow philosophy. Baking it at a low temperature will help you achieve the texture you want. If you are wondering whether you should use salted or unsalted butter, the choice is yours. Salted butter will definitely add a lovely savory taste that works well with the sweet elements of your granola, but if you are trying to cut down on sodium, you can always choose a low-sodium alternative or go with unsalted butter.